2025 Seahawks Most Valuable Player Rankings: #7

Things were a little messy for the Seahawks in 2025 when it came to their edge rushers, but one man held things together with a resurgent season at 33 years old.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) is strip sacked by Seattle Seahawks defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be listing out my rankings for most valuable Seattle Seahawk player for the 2025 season, starting at #12 and counting down to #1.

A Dallas Dead End

DeMarcus Lawrence gave the first eleven seasons of his NFL career to the Dallas Cowboys after being an early second round selection of them in 2014. There were moments of greatness, like four pro bowls and a 4th place finish in Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, and also low points of big injuries in 2016, 2021, and 2024.

After amassing 450 tackles and 61.5 sacks, Lawrence had made his name and his money as a Cowboy, but he was ready to move on. The Cowboys allowed him to become a free agent, and after joining up with the Seahawks on a 3 year, $42 million contract, D-Law didn’t mince words. He loved Dallas, but knew he wouldn’t win a super bowl there.

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) is hit by Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (90). | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Lawrence made the playoffs six times as a Cowboy, but only won three games and never advanced to even the NFC Championship game. After a strong run of three straight 12-5 seasons from 2021-2023, the Cowboys had fallen back to 7-10 in 2024. You couldn’t blame him for realizing he wasn’t climbing the mountain there.

New Life In Seattle

However, there was some head-scratching at the insinuation that Seattle was the place he’d get the elusive championship. The Seahawks hadn’t made the super bowl in over ten years and had won one playoff game in the previous eight. They had missed the playoffs (with a winning record, mind you) in two straight seasons. They had just traded two offensive stars.

Whatever Lawrence envisioned when he signed with the Seahawks, it most certainly manifested, and it manifested in large part because of his contributions. Amid relatively quiet seasons from Boye Mafe and Derick Hall, as well as a frontloaded one from Uchenna Nwosu, Lawrence was ultimately the force that held it down on the outside.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) is hit as he throws by Seattle Seahawks defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (0). | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

As well as being the elite run defender he had always been, D-Law saw a big resurgence in pass rush production. Six sacks was his most since 2022, and 39 pressures was a big improvement over every season he’s had since 2018. He got involved in the turnover picture as well, forcing three fumbles and recovering three, including two defensive touchdowns.

Cashing In

Lawrence made the pro bowl. He picked up a pair of sacks and forced three more fumbles in the postseason. And, of course, he accomplished the very thing he said he would never do in Dallas. On the back of a dominant defensive performance, the Seahawks won Super Bowl LX. Hard to beat that kind of value, so he’s high up on my list.

Seattle Seahawks defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (0) reacts against the Carolina Panthers. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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